The Danger of Learning a Second Language

So you're going to learn another language, that's great! Your brain will start to function in ways you never imagined possible and you will start to think you're really smart. And then BAM! It hits you! You're humbled because while you might be gaining huge (or small) ground in your second language, your first language is quickly going downhill. This is a hidden danger that I don't think people are fairly warned about.


After my last post it was pointed out to me that I had a number of grammatical errors, mostly having to do with there/their and then/than usage. Now a lot of that could have been avoided if I had actually proofread it before I posted it, but also that almost never would have happened before I started learning Spanish. I guess God gave me the gift of being good at English and grammar but now He's taking it away! In fact, I used to (and actually still do) get upset at people who could not use the correct form of they're, their and there on Facebook because they mean three totally different things! I used to be able to write my statuses (stati?) like none other, whipping them out without even having to think about spelling or grammar. Now I have to read each one (although I don't always) to make sure I wrote "too" instead of "to" or "they're" instead of "their" correctly. I guess I needed this lesson in humility.


But it's not just your grammar that gets messed up when learning a second language, it is also your vocabulary. There are so many words that I cannot remember anymore! I'll be having a conversation in English with someone and a very common word that even a two year old would know will be on the tip of my tongue yet my brain will not recall it. Or I'll be having a conversation with Andres and he'll say a word in Spanish and ask me what it is in English and in my mind I know what he's talking about but I cannot for the life of me think what the word is in English. So if you want to learn a second language, make sure you're up for losing some of your native tongue. Be aware of the danger!


What I wrote up above is true but I just want you all to know that I think it is definitely worth it to learn as many languages your brain can handle. And I (we) definitely plan to raise our kids bilingual and I might even encourage them to learn a third language or more! Yes, some studies say that bilingual kids struggle to understand some of the grammatical rules in school but to me the benefits outweigh the deficits by far. Studies also show that bilingual and multilingual kids do better in other areas and are more creative (think outside the box types).


I will end on a somewhat serious note. I'm not sure how much of this news has reached us in the U.S., but the big news in Chile is that the Chilean government recently voted to allow a project to develop hydroelectric power in the south by making five hydroelectric plants. Many Chileans are not happy because it will block rivers and flood a lot of the land and also put up power lines over this land that is pristine, beautiful and mostly untouched. Protests are happening but the government doesn't seem to want to listen. A movement called "Patagonia sin Represas" (Patagonia without Dams) has been started to disseminate information on the damage these plants will cause and to work to get the project reversed. You can check out their website in English here. You can read an article in the NY Times about it here and you can read about the protests from gringa Chile blogger Eileen here and here.

Questions and Pensamientos about Love

I have a lot of feelings and thoughts of love and about love. I find myself thinking about them often and I wonder if it's because I'm in a long distance relationship. If Andres was here would I be acting on them more than thinking about them? Anyways, I thought I would put a few of them out there although I feel I don't have the adequate words to describe them. So I apologize in advance if they don't make sense.

• I am in a long distance relationship. Mostly the long distance part sucks. But I do think there are a couple of benefits. First of all, Andres and I have really good communication. Actually now that I ponder it, often we have miscommunications or misunderstandings but we are more than willing to explain and clear them up because words are all that we have. We can't just walk away from each other and we won't give each other the silent treatment because then we would give up all that we have! Pretty much right from the beginning we have been separated and so our relationship is really based on friendship (and not just our good looks and mutual physical attraction) from getting to know each other and what we think about things from the hours we've spent talking over the phone and not being able to do other activities together. (When I say "activities" does it remind you of Brian Regan too? They're both good!) Secondly they say that absence makes the heart grow fonder- or that it breaks a couple apart. Thankfully the former is very true for us! And I can definitely see how this is. Distance lets you know if you really want to be with the person you're with.
• I have often heard people say to their loved one "I fall more in love with you every day." Yes, granted I have often heard this in the movies and so I ask you: what do you think about this? Is this possible? Does this happen to people in real life? I hope I don't get worst girlfriend award of the year but I don't think this is totally true for how I feel about Andres- I don't feel more in love with him or at least recognize that I'm more in love with him every day but this is often how I feel about him. And it amazes me! It causes wonder in me that I can recognize that my feelings for him are deeper and more permanent than the day before. Sometimes I feel that I can't possibly love him more but then the next day I realize that I do! So then I wonder, will I keep feeling this way? I hope I do. I hope I keep falling in love with him and growing deeper in love with him in the next five, ten, twenty and fifty years- as long as we're together! For those of you who have been married for some time now, what are your opinions on this?
• I love Andres more than life. I love my family more than life. I love many of my friends more than life. I love the Lord more than life. Over the past couple of months I have come to realize how deep my love runs for many people. And that I would willingly give up my life for them. And yet it is a paradox because I cannot give up my life for them by the very fact that I need to live my life. Let me try and explain this more clearly. If someone was in danger, I would willingly trade my life for theirs- I would step in front of that bus or bullet or whatever it might be. Yet the people I love are not in immediate mortal danger and since there is no urgent need to give up my life for them then that means that I have to live the life that God has given to me to live. So while I might trade my physical life to save that of my mother's or my niece's if they were in danger, I can't trade my life in Chile to be with them in Minnesota. My vocation is in Chile, I need to go start my life with Andres there. And sometimes that's really hard to accept because that means I'm giving up life with my family for life with him. But I love all of them! I hope you all know that. This also makes me realize how amazing and loving it was that Christ gave up His life for me on the cross.
• Now this next idea is not originally mine but I can't remember who to give credit to. I don't remember if I read this somewhere or heard it on the radio or in a homily, but someone was talking about how we are called to love God above all else and all others. Personally, it's easy to love Him above all things but I struggle to put Him above other people because I love them so much (but then is that true love?). This person proposed a great solution to this struggle I find myself falling into. He said that we are to love God above all else precisely through loving others. God commanded us to love others and we love Him through them. I mean He is their creator and if they belong to the mystical Body of Christ then they have God dwelling in them as they dwell in Him. I like this a lot because I don't want to feel guilty about loving others and I don't think God would want that either.
• And the last thing I've been pondering is that love is a choice. I firmly believe that. True love is a choice. Yes, maybe it starts out with us "falling in love" and that's great. But when tough times come we need to realize that we don't have to "fall out of love" with people but that even if the feelings are no longer there that we can still choose to love that person. And in fact (especially if we are bound to them in marriage) that is exactly what we need to do. I think that divorce rates would be greatly reduced if couples realized that marriage and their relationship does not and cannot rely on feelings alone. Yes, I feel that I'm deeply in love with Andres and I hope those feelings last forever. Yet I will choose to keep on loving him even if they don't. I'll end with these words from Pope Benedict XVI in his first encyclical Deus Caritas Est:

In the gradual unfolding of this encounter, it is clearly revealed that love is not merely a sentiment. Sentiments come and go. A sentiment can be a marvellous first spark, but it is not the fullness of love. Earlier we spoke of the process of purification and maturation by which eros comes fully into its own, becomes love in the full meaning of the word. It is characteristic of mature love that it calls into play all man's potentialities; it engages the whole man, so to speak... This encounter also engages our will and our intellect. Acknowledgment of the living God is one path towards love, and the “yes” of our will to his will unites our intellect, will and sentiments in the all- embracing act of love. But this process is always open-ended; love is never “finished” and complete; throughout life, it changes and matures, and thus remains faithful to itself. (#17)

And in Spanish! 

En el desarrollo de este encuentro se muestra también claramente que el amor no es solamente un sentimiento. Los sentimientos van y vienen. Pueden ser una maravillosa chispa inicial, pero no son la totalidad del amor. Al principio hemos hablado del proceso de purificación y maduración mediante el cual el eros llega a ser totalmente él mismo y se convierte en amor en el pleno sentido de la palabra. Es propio de la madurez del amor que abarque todas las potencialidades del hombre e incluya, por así decir, al hombre en su integridad... Pero dicho encuentro implica también nuestra voluntad y nuestro entendimiento. El reconocimiento del Dios viviente es una vía hacia el amor, y el sí de nuestra voluntad a la suya abarca entendimiento, voluntad y sentimiento en el acto único del amor. No obstante, éste es un proceso que siempre está en camino: el amor nunca se da por « concluido » y completado; se transforma en el curso de la vida, madura y, precisamente por ello, permanece fiel a sí mismo. (#17)

(Almost) MN Bound

I have seven days left of work- five at the church and two at the golf course- before I am on my way to Minnesota!!! If you cannot tell, I am super stoked. I'm ready for some good, old-fashioned family time. I miss my family. It's especially hard being away from them right now because my cousin passed away. So if any of my families members are reading this, please know that I wish I could be with you all and that I am praying for you. 


I will be in MN for almost two weeks and for the first part of my time there I want to see extended family and get some Chile preparations done. I'm planning on getting some shopping done (Costco and Mall of America here I come!) so I can have some new work clothes and get all the toiletries I'll need to bring to Chile. I also have some places I need to visit and get any paperwork straightened out. Then I want to do some serious cleaning. I still have a bedroom (it's my room) at my parents house and I'm very grateful for it. I know that I no longer live with them but I like still having strong ties to them. But I think the time has come to clean out a lot of the junk I have in it. I mean, seriously, I haven't used/looked at that stuff in 7 years! It's time to cut the sentimental ties and get rid of it. Then whatever I keep I plan to box up or have it nice and orderly in my room so that if (God forbid) my parents decide to change it into something else it will be a lot easier for them. By the way, they have changed it into a nursery when my first niece was born (they even replaced my bed with a crib) and also an exercise room- but each time, after awhile, it has been changed back. So it's my room again!


The second part of my time in MN will be spent up north at an AMAZING, MAGICAL resort called Brookside. Brookside is located near the picturesque town of Park Rapids and my mom's parents took her family there every summer when she was a child. Then when she and her siblings grew up, they started taking their own families. My family didn't seem to go quite as often as the others. In fact, I only remember us renting a cabin twice before, but sometimes we would go for just a day to visit my aunts and uncles and cousins. This is why I describe Brookside as amazing and magical- because I have such good family and childhood memories from there. Mini-golf, tubing, flipping peoples' kayaks and waterbikes over, trying to water ski but never getting up (more of an embarrassing than a fun memory), visiting Itasca State Park, staying up all night doing puzzles, etc. However, when we go this summer it's going to be different and EXTRA SPECIAL because we're starting a new generation of Brookside goers and memories with my nieces! This will also be the first time my whole family has taken a vacation together since we got the addition of my nieces. I'm so excited to start making new memories with them.

I'm excited to see these guys!

But in this type of (summer) weather!

And with the beautiful MN lakes landscape!

I would like to end with a prayer for my cousin. I keep coming back to the prayer of St. Gertrude which Our Lord promised that when we pray it that 1,000 souls will be released from purgatory. And if he's already in heaven (wonderful!) then we can be assured that the graces of this prayer will be applied to other souls in need.

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. 

Eternal rest grant unto Joesph, O Lord and let Your perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. 

A Little Story I Like to Call "Getting My Degree Legalized"

I'd like to start out with a request for your prayers. I still have about two and a half months left at my job (so there is time) but it's hard to remain hopeful all the time about my replacement. We came close with two different people who didn't work out for different reasons. Please pray that we find someone with a servant heart and missionary spirit who will be a good fit for the parish and us for them. Thank you!


Now onto my story about getting my degree legalized. If I want to use my degree in Chile, then there is a process to get Chileans to recognize it as legitimate in their country. Just for the record (Mother and Andres), I DO want to use my degree in Chile, I'm just not sure how possible that will be since my degree is in Theology. To my knowledge there are not a lot of paid positions for my field. My best bet is that once I become fluent in Spanish a Catholic school might want to hire me to teach Religion. Anywho...I called and emailed the consulate here in the U.S. to get the skinny on what I have to do. These are the instructions they gave me:

LEGALIZATION OF SCHOOL DOCUMENTS Step 1:  Document must be signed by a school official (Principal, Counselor, Registrar) before a Notary Public. Step 2: The signature of the Notary must be certified by County Clerk or Secretary of State’ Office.  This certification must be in ORIGINAL issued in one of the following States:  Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Wisconsin.  After being legalized by the County Clerk or Secretary of  State’ Office the document must be sent to the Consulate General of Chile.   Step 3: US$ 12 per legalization in Money Order (no personal checks) payable to the Consulate of Chile.  Step 4: Include a self addressed and stamped envelope to send you back the document. IMPORTANT: In order to validate this document in Chile, it must be legalized by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Chile, Legalization Department. Agustinas 1320, Santiago, Chile. 

They say Chileans are a bit bureaucratic and that they like their red tape and to make you jump through hoops and wait in many, many lines. Well, today I got an experience of that in our own U-S of A.  I had to send an envelope inside of an envelope inside of an envelope to my college along with a check for $26 so that they can print me off another diploma and have it notarized. Then they must send it in the next envelope inside an envelope with the $12 money order to the Chilean Consulate in Chicago. Note I had to send it to the consulate in the jurisdiction where I went to school and not where I live now- or else I would have sent it to Salt Lake City. The consulate will authenticate/legalize it and then mail it to my parents house in the final envelope provided. It's being sent to their house in case this whole process takes longer than two and a half months. BUT as you may have noticed from the directions, the process doesn't stop there. Once I arrive in Chile I also have to have it legalized there. I'm not quite sure why I have to do this twice. And will they make me pay for it even more in Chile?


So how did it go sending off the envelope inside of an envelope inside of an envelope? Not so good. I got the run around. When I started this morning I knew that I needed to get postage for my three envelopes and the $12 money order- everything else was ready. So I called up the post office and asked: Do you sell money orders? The answer was yes. Perfect! Off to the post office I went on my merry little way during my lunch break. I get there and go up to the counter and request the money order and postage. I get the postage first and start sticking stamps onto my envelopes. Then comes time to pay- but you can only pay for money orders with cash or debit. Usually I carry cash on me but I didn't have enough today of all days. No problem because I have not only one, but two debit cards! Except one I don't know the pin to and the other the post office machine will not accept. I pay for the stamps with cash, cut my losses with time and move on. I drive to my bank, go up to the counter and ask: Do you sell money orders? The answer is yes. Perfect! Except they cost five stinking dollars! It only cost $1.10 at the post office. I say heck no, take a measly $12 out of my account and leave. Then I go across the street to the grocery store. I asked: Do you sell money orders? The answer was yes. Perfect! And how much do they cost? 25 cents a piece! Jackpot! I might have wasted 45 minutes but I saved $4.75. I got my money order, stuck it in the middle envelope, checked the other envelopes to make sure they had the correct addresses and put it in the big blue postal mailbox.


Done and done! Hopefully. Now check out some pictures.

The contents of the first envelope. The forms I had to fill out for my school. Plus 26 buckaroos!

The infamous money order

The final mailing package: an envelope inside an envelop inside an envelope

It should have been picked up at 4:30pm today! It's on its way....

La Vida es un Carnaval

When I went to Chile the first time to learn Spanish they told us to prepare beforehand by listening to music in Spanish. Now at that time I had of course heard the names of different types: salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaeton, mariachi, cumbia etc. But I could not tell you the difference in them (with the exception of reggaeton and mariachi), and I still probably can't, ha! I also didn't really know any artists. I knew that Hillsong United had some of their praise and worship songs in Spanish and I downloaded a few of those. Then I messaged my friend Gabe from college who is actually Brazilian but he also speaks Spanish and is latino. He gave me a list of different artists to listen to and one of them was Celia Cruz. I'm pretty sure she is a huge star (so don't hold this against me) but the first times I listened to her no me gustó (I didn't like her). However, after hearing this song by her over and over again on my ipod and in Zumba and having it also pop up in various places I go, I've become somewhat addicted to it.

The song is called La Vida es un Carnaval- Life is a Carnival. It has a positive message for us living in this troubled world. And it seems to be a very troubled world these days with what's going on in the Middle East, the politics of our own nation, poverty, hunger, abortion, the protests in Chile over Hidroaysen and education... the list could go on and on. Also on a personal level, tragedies (death) seem to keep striking and have been for the past year or so. The most recent is that a parishioner that I saw very often passed away and he will be greatly missed. So I hope that this song and the lyrics will help all of us to remember that even when life deals you a tough hand, even though there are injustices, there are also many things to celebrate and to keep a good attitude (and to keep on singing) can help you through. For the English speakers I will provide lyrics underneath the video but remember I'm not an expert in Spanish- yet!

Todo aquel que piense                                           Everyone who thinks

que la vida es desigual,                                          that life is unequal,

tiene que saver que no es asi,                               has to know that it's not like that,

que la vida es una hermosura,                               that life is beautiful,

hay que vivirla.                                                          you have to live it.

Todo aquel que piense                                           Everyone who thinks

que esta solo                                                           that they're alone

y que esta mal,                                                         and that is bad,

tiene que saber que no es asi,                               has to know that it's not like that,

que en la vida no hay nadie solo,                           that in life no one is alone,

siempre hay alguien.                                                there's always someone.

Ay, no ha que llorar, que la vida es un carnaval,   Oh, don't cry, life is a carnival,

es mas bello vivir cantando.                                  it's more beautiful to live singing.

Oh, oh, oh, ay, no hay que llorar,                           Oh, don't cry,

que la vida es un carnaval                                     life is a carnival

y las penas se van cantando.                                and the pain will go singing

Todo aquel que piense que                             Everyone who thinks

la vida siempre es cruel,                                  life is always cruel,

tiene que saber que no es as                         has to know that it's not like that,

que tan solo hay momentos malos,               it's just that there are bad moments,

y todo pasa.                                                      and everything passes.

Todo aquel que piense                                    Everyone who thinks

que esto nunca va a cambiar,                          that this is never going to change,

tiene que saber que no es asi,                         has to know that it's not like that,

que al mal tiempo buena cara,                         give a brave face to the bad time,

y todo pasa.                                                        and everything passes.

Para aquellos que se quejan tanto.                  For those who complain so much.

Para aquellos que solo critican.                        For those who only criticize.

Para aquellos que usan las armas.                   For those who use weapons.

Para aquellos que nos cantaminan.                  For those who contaminate us.

Para aquellos que hacen la guerra.                  For those who make war.

Para aquellos que viven pecando.                    For those who live sinning.

Para aquellos que nos maltratan.                      For those who mistreat us.

Para aquellos que nos contagian.                     For those who make us sick.

Fuente/Source: musica.com

Show Me the Money!

I know in my last post that I said it wasn't all about the money. And life definitely is not, especially eternal life. Yet, money helps- fo shizzle. And a lot of my preparations for Chile are all about the money because I will need it to live there! 


On Saturday I had my first day back working at the golf course. When I took the job here in Wyoming I negotiated my salary so I would have just enough to live off of. Unfortunately I didn't plan my budget quite well enough because when my first student loan payment came due just three months later my monthly income fell about $100 short to cover all of my expenses. So I got a second job at Starbucks! It was really early mornings but free coffee and I mostly enjoyed it. It also covered the rest of my bills. Then I went to Chile for the first time for six weeks and they fired me (the first time I've ever been let go!). I guess you're only allowed to take extended absences for sick leave. They said they would hire me back when I returned to the states but my manager had started talking to me about the (in)flexibility of my schedule and I got the impression that unless something changed with my full-time schedule at the church, that Starbucks was no longer a viable option.


But God provided when I returned from Chile. The first weekend I was back a parishioner approached me and said her daughter was the manager at the snack shack at the golf course and she wanted to know if I knew of any teens who needed a job. Well I wasn't a teen but I was interested! I started in the snack shop the following weekend. By that time (due to a raise) I barely needed a second job to cover all my monthly expenses. But now I had a boyfriend in Chile who I wanted to see and this extra income helped me save for my first plane ticket to visit him (my generous father also provided some frequent flyer miles- thanks Pops!). I took the winter off- because of the snow on the ground- and then was back last summer and now I'm finally back this summer!


I was only scheduled for one day this weekend but I think from now on I'll be working every Saturday and Sunday. This is great because I really need the moolah for my move. It was quite windy this past Saturday and so we weren't as busy as we might normally be... but guess how much I made in tips? $40! That plus my base pay will all go into the Chile fund. Thank you Lord and thank you S. the golf course manager. Show me the money!

Melting Pot, Salad Bowl

I got home from work at about 7:15pm tonight and I had... energy left! It was such a surprise. Work has been really stressful and draining this past month, yet also very rewarding. It reminds me that it ain't all about the money, money, money.

On Saturday evening we had the Spanish First Communion Mass. Our parish has a very large Hispanic population (mostly Mexican) and for at least the past three years we've given the families a choice: their children (who are completely bilingual and bicultural) can make their First Communion in English with Anglo/U.S. traditions or in Spanish with Mexican traditions. This year our class was split almost 50/50- 27 at the Spanish Mass and 29 at the English (almost 60 total! That's a huge number for us). While I'm so happy for the children that they got to receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time, it was a very trying time for me at both Masses, although for this post I'm going to focus on the Spanish Mass.


You see my first year in the parish someone else totally took care of the Spanish First Communion Mass and I wasn't even able to attend because it was at the exact same time as the English. Then last year a wonderful, generous woman who had her two sons making their First Communion organized most of the Mass for me and led the parent meeting and all the rehearsals. This year that same wonderful, generous woman led the parent meeting and then showed up for the first rehearsal but I led it and then I did the second one on my own and also the day of I was on my own to get the children and families ready and lined-up. Let me tell you, that was really difficult because I'm not Mexican! It's a surprise, I know, but I'm cien por ciento (100%) gringa.


Last year I did not pay attention enough to the different traditions and customs the Mexicans have (because I did not think I would be going it solo) so this year I didn't know what the padrinos (godparents) were supposed to do, what the candle was for and when it was supposed to be lit, and what different things the children needed to bring and carry (Bible, rosary, possible armband for the boys). And to be honest, on Saturday after all was said and done, I was a bit frustrated and disappointed by the lack of help from the parents and padrinos. They all acted like they didn't know what was going on when all I wanted to do was say- These are your traditions! You should know and be able to guide the children way more than I should! Now that it's been a couple of days I'm able to see that yes, some of them should have helped more (and others from the community besides that one wonderful, generous woman), but also that many of them probably didn't know what was going on because it's been years since their First Communion.


But this led me to thinking (now I'm getting around to the purpose of this post and the reason behind the title) about how this seems like it would only happen in our country. The U.S. was founded by immigrants from different countries who brought their own traditions, including religious ones, and I'm sure they practiced them like they did in the Old Country when they first arrived here. We were like a salad bowl. But now a lot of those traditions have melted and melded together (and now I'm speaking specifically about Catholic religious traditions) and we pretty much have the same ones, even if my background is German and Polish and yours is Italian and Irish. But with this new wave of immigrants (which isn't so new) it seems they're keeping their customs more and more and it seems to me that it is both good and bad. Good because their customs can be beautiful and also I can understand that when you're in a foreign place it makes you feel more at home to get to keep old traditions and not have to lose everything from where you were from. It is bad in that sometimes I feel like it makes us divided. I mean just the fact that we have a "hispanic" and an "anglo" community in our parish doesn't seem totally right- shouldn't we all just be parishioners in one community? And that our kids who have been together in class together for nine months have to be split up to receive the Sacrament. And also it's not so good when they want to keep their traditions but expect someone not part of them or privy to them to lead them in it.


And this gets me to thinking, is this only in the U.S.? Take Chile for example. They are also made of immigrants- mainly Spanish at first but because they have many ports they were also settled by many other Europeans. I often see a lot of German influence in names and structures in the parts of Chile I visit. It is not too common but also not extremely odd to see a blonde or red headed Chilean, and it is common to see blue- green-  and hazel-eyed Chileans. And say a bunch of us gringos relocated to the town of Concon where I will be. Maybe the parish would start offering a Mass for us in English (I know of at least one that does so in Santiago) but I highly doubt they would start doing the Sacraments according to our U.S. traditions and I doubt that they lead us in it- if they did it they would have us form a committee or something to be in charge of it (from what Andres says, the parish seems to be really good at forming committees, hehe).


This post has been a little difficult to write. In the back of my mind is the worry that I will offend someone. I hope I haven't because I try not to be prejudiced and I am proponent of looser immigration laws in the U.S. I also realized that I talk about how both the U.S. and Chile were settled by immigrants and don't mention the Native Americans who were definitely here first with their own traditions. I want you to know that I recognize all this. Yet these difficult questions arise: what can rightfully be expected of people who immigrate to a new country? What should they keep of their old culture, their roots, and what should they assimilate to their new culture? Is it different between the public/political life and the private/religious life? I mean, faith can be a very personal aspect and so shouldn't people be able to celebrate it how they feel most comfortable? Yet as a Catholic catechist I know that it's not "Jesus and me" but "Jesus and we" and we will be saved as the Body of Christ and so shouldn't we adapt to the community we are with? I'm not sure of the answers at all. I can see both viewpoints and this is also all brought to a new light because I will soon be experiencing in person the other viewpoint.

Isabel Allende: Paula

I'd like to start off by thanking everyone for your passport advice because I really appreciate it. I received advice through comments on the blog, facebook and email. Now I have to take time to consider all this and I will let you know when I make a decision. I know I have to decide by the end of the month at the latest because if I am going to renew it here then I gotta get on it!


I went to the library yesterday to find some books on teaching English and right at the checkout counter they had a display of books by Chilean author Isabel Allende. I've heard of her a lot because she's one of the most famous Chilean authors and she is also related to the former president Salvador Allende whose government was taken over by the military dictatorship of Pinochet. A couple of months ago I checked out one of her newest books Island Beneath the Sea but the first chapter didn't even hold my interest so I figured I wasn't a fan of her writing. But yesterday I decided to give her another try and I got Paula and Inés of My Soul. I am so glad I did!

Photo Credit

I started Paula last night and am already halfway through- I can't put it down! My opinion has changed and I am now a fan of Isabel Allende's writing but I also think it is so fascinating because I'm learning about the history of the country and people I will be joining so soon. Paula is Isabel's autobiography written to her daughter, Paula, when she was in a coma due to an illness. Isabel wanted to make sure her daughter would have these memories and this knowledge when she woke up. So far I've read through the history of Isabel's grandparents, parents, her childhood and up to her early years of marriage. She has led an exciting life- sometimes exciting in a good way and sometimes not. 


I'm up to the year 1968 and looking forward to reading her account of the 1973 coup d'etat (in Spanish it is golpe de estado) and going into exile. And I don't mean "looking forward" in a sick and twisted kind of way but rather because I want to hear from someone who was there how it happened and how it could happen. I want to know this history of the country of Chile and I hope it can give me better understanding of the people- because this is their very recent past.


I'd rather finish reading the book before I say anything more on it so I'll just end with this: When I was checking out the books I wanted to tell the librarian, "I'm getting these because I'm moving to Chile! The author that you're showcasing is from there and that's my country!" I refrained myself but did you notice the personal pronoun I used?! I said my country and I wasn't thinking about the U-S- of A. I always surprise myself when I think like that about Chile, how I already imagine it in my mind as home. In a way I'm very happy about that fact because it is going to be home (or at least a home) for me.  But then that leads into thoughts about how I want to fit in there and adapt to the culture but at the same time stay who I am, which in a way my gringaness is a part (small or large) of who I am. So will Chile ever truly be home if I'm always a gringa and will never be a true chilena? Ahhh, but I will save expounding on all these thoughts for later posts for when I am actually in Chile. Only time will tell. For now I'm going to finish reading Isabel Allende's book about my country! Chau.


*Okay, one last closing thought. Isabel Allende lives in California and has for some years now. I wonder if she considers herself Chilean and American or just Chilean. Hmmm. 

Passport Conundrum

I need advice! My passport is set to expire in March 2012... when I'm in Chile. The question is do I renew it now or do I renew it when I'm there? And there lies my conundrum.


Reasons to renew in Chile:
- It costs $110 for a new passport and then it will cost another $130 to get my visa when I enter Chile (the tourist visa is good for the life of the passport)
- If you change your name within one year of getting a new passport you can have your name changed in it for free. If it has been more than one year you would have to pay another $110 for the passport (and pay for another visa as well)
- I am planning on getting married and changing my name... but it will probably be a few months  over that one year mark
-So if I can put off renewing my visa for a few months I wouldn't have to pay for my passport twice. I may still have to pay for my visa twice. But this is the main reason: I save at least $110 and I also put off having to spend $240 for awhile.
- I emailed the U.S. embassy in Santiago and they said that if I was living there and my passport expires I can renew it with them.


Reasons to renew before I leave the US:
- What if since I would not be living in Chile permanently at that point the embassy decides I broke the rules for renewing it? What are the rules for renewing your passport abroad?
- What if something goes wrong and I get deported?
- The reasons here are mostly my worries. Some are blown out of proportion I think, but they still worry me.
- Convenience. If I renew it here I can just mail in the application and a check. If I renew it in Chile I can possibly mail it in but I might have to go to Santiago (a two-hour trip) to renew it.


What do you think? Have you (or someone you know) ever renewed your passport when you were abroad? Any advice would be appreciated.

May To Do

Okay, here's what I need to get done in May:

1. Go to the eye doctor
2. Write my resume
3. Check out resources from the library on teaching English
4. Inform my landlord I will be moving
5. Get the green light from said landlord to have a yard sale in July
6. Ask a couple of people to write letters of recommendation about my teaching skills
7. Fill out application for passport and get envelope ready for mailing
8. Schedule dentist appointment for beginning of June

It's not as much as I had to do in April but I will have a lot more to do in June and July. The time is going so fast!

70%

It's the beginning of a new month which means it's time for a new budget! Have I shared with you all yet how much I love budgeting??? I truly do love it. I think last month though I was a little down about how much I had saved for Chile so far- 56%. But this month that has gone up almost 14% (I did a little rounding because some people can't always handle the number 69). Honestly, when it gets to be the last week of the month I start hoping it goes by super fast so that it can be the first of the next month and I can do my budget.

Last night, it was the first of the month so I dusted off my crappy trusty laptop and opened up my Dave Ramsey software, totally expecting to be rejoicing at my new percentage of savings for Chile. However that's not quite how it happened- in fact I was a bit upset. I did my budget and commenced freaking out. I was only at 53%! How could this be?! I tracked my spending and I hadn't overspent and I had earned more income this month PLUS received a gift of money. No se que paso. I crunched the numbers again and again. I even angrily shut down the Dave Ramsey software and went back to my own excel worksheet thinking I could do the math way better than him. I got to 56% again by cutting out things. I was having an anxiety attack wondering where the money I had earned had gone. I wanted to call my mom but it was 11pm for her and she would have killed me. I called Andres with only one minute left on my calling card- he said he would call me back in a little bit. It was during that "little bit" that it hit me- the money hadn't disappeared, I just forgot that it was already in Chile! That's right, Andres has $750 of mine in Chile (already in chilean pesos) just waiting for me. I added that into the budget and I now have 70% of the $5000 I need to live there. I just need to earn 30% more plus the plane ticket in the three months remaining. Si se puede... yes I can!

So where did this 14% come from this month?

• I spent about $80 under my income (income is tight- I'm usually not able to save too much from it.
• I received a $200 dollar gift from parishioners who were in a Bible study with me. Their gift was totally unexpected and their generosity blows me away. I am so thankful for the parishioners here- and not just because they give me money!
• I had two dogsitting jobs amounting to about $140
• I cashed in a $50 savings bond
• I sold a piece of furniture for $30

This month I'm looking to grow my savings by having two more dog-sitting jobs, by receiving a $90 rebate from my FSA for contacts I bought last month and I hope to start working at the golf course on the weekends like I have the past two summers. Bring on the tips!

Check-up: April To Do List

So how did I do with the list of things I needed to get done this month? Check it out! Everything I finished now has a bullet point instead of a number in front of it. The ones in red are half done.

• Send Andres my contact prescription so he can compare prices
• Ask office manager about what will happen to my retirement account
• Confirm selling my guitar to my brother
• Start a file folder that will hold all important documents to take to Chile
• Make copies of birth certificate
• Check with Chilean consulate about getting my degree legalized
• Schedule eye appointment for end of May
• See if family or co-workers want to buy my TV converter
• Set dates that I will go to MN in June
• Check with parishioners who have so generously given me some furniture to see if they want it back or if they want me to pass it on

1. Fill out application for passport and get envelope ready for mailing
2. Schedule dentist appointment for beginning of June
3. Confirm end date of work
4. Confirm how much I will have to pay back my work for the first time I went to Chile
5. Set-up move dates with my parents who will be coming to help get me and any stuff I have to MN in August

I'll post my May list in the next couple of days.